DroneDeploy, Shepherd tie insurance savings to site data

DroneDeploy and Shepherd launched a partnership that could cut casualty premiums by up to 25% for contractors and owners using DroneDeploy on insured projects. The move follows Shepherd’s six-year claims review, which found DroneDeploy users had fewer claims and lower loss rates than non-users.

Why it matters: - Contractors and owners using DroneDeploy may qualify for lower insurance costs tied to documented risk reduction on their projects. - Shepherd is using its own claims data to price coverage, which could help connect reality capture adoption with measurable underwriting benefits. - The program could influence how insurers reward construction safety tools across single jobsites and larger portfolios.

What happened: - DroneDeploy and Shepherd announced a partnership on July 16, 2026. - Contractors and owners running DroneDeploy on projects can qualify for premium savings of up to 25% on Shepherd casualty products. - Eligibility starts immediately for new Shepherd casualty coverage, including wrap-ups and Owner Controlled Insurance Programs. - Existing DroneDeploy customers can qualify at their next renewal.

The details: - Shepherd’s actuarial review compared Commercial General Liability loss experience from 2019 to 2024. - The study analyzed 107 DroneDeploy users and 699 non-users from Shepherd’s contractor book. - DroneDeploy users had 44% fewer claims and a 48% lower overall loss rate than non-users. - Contractors using DroneDeploy Ground and Aerial products together had 51% lower general liability loss rates than non-users. - The combined Ground-and-Aerial cohort had a loss rate 47% lower than Aerial-only users and 23% lower than Ground-only users. - Tenured users, defined as customers past the first 24 months of onboarding, saw loss rates fall 35% versus their pre-adoption experience. - Premium credits are tied to verified DroneDeploy usage across the insured project or portfolio. - The full data study is available at the full data study. - Contractors and owners can request details at Shepherd.

Between the lines: - Shepherd’s analysis is notable because it looks at combined drone and 360 ground capture on the same project, not just one data-collection method. - The 51% reduction for users of both Ground and Aerial products was described as Shepherd’s largest delta reported against a technology partner. - The tenured-user result suggests risk benefits may strengthen as teams build more disciplined documentation practices over time. - The pricing model gives Shepherd a way to translate site data into underwriting terms, rather than treating technology adoption as a generic discount factor.

What’s next: - More contractors and owners may seek the premium credit as new policies and renewals come up. - Brokers will likely be central in documenting platform usage and applying the credits. - Shepherd and DroneDeploy may use the study as a sales and underwriting benchmark for future portfolio deals.

The bottom line: - DroneDeploy’s site-recording tools are now tied to a concrete insurance incentive: lower measured loss rates can translate into lower premiums.